The series finale of ’24’ this week made me depressed as I’m a big fan of Jack Bauer. With the series coming to an end, a game not too dissimilar to 24 comes in to help ease the pain. That game is Alpha Protocol which is due to come out next week. As I finally had a chance to play the final build of Obsidian Entertainment’s Alpha Protocol, Agent Michael Thorton reminds me a lot of Jack Bauer. Both characters are federal agents that will be saving the world, except Agent Thorton doesn’t have 24 hours. In my first hour through the game, I’m nothing but enthralled as to what this game has to offer.
Alpha Protocol is an action-espionage game with a mix from the RPG genre. When I started playing I had to choose what kind of Agent I would be. There are five choices that I was entitled to choose from. Below are the five things that I was able to become:
Soldier
– Decorated for service in the armed forces, your commanding officer felt that general infantry was a waste of your potential. Your natural language talent and quick wit caught the attention of a recruiter for an agency that doesn’t officially exist.
Field Agent
– No stranger to covert operations, you’ve spent the last several years working for the US State Department on overseas assignments. Capable of being a charismatic presence one moment, and an inconspicuous shadow the next, you’re always the agent on location, never the one hiding behind a desk.
Tech Specialist
– Having made mockery of every aptitude test sent your way, it was no surprise that you finished your first PHd before you were legally allowed to buy alcohol. While the CIA initially hired you to design cutting edge electronics, being cloistered in a lab proved unsatisfying and your superiors granted you a transfer to calndestine services.
When your handler was asked to recommended an agent for a top secret reassignment, your remarkable field work and your natural grasp of technology made you the obvious choice.
Freelancer
– Fearless from birth, the only thought that ever caused you an ounce of panic was the thought of a 9-to-5 job. After a remarkable college career, you vanished off the radar of the known world to make your fortune. According to your dossier, you’ve been a mercenary in Africa, a bodyguard to the Sultan of Brunei, the on-again off-again paramour of a European princess, and the holder of three patents in Great Britain.
While the truth is somewhere in the middle, one thing that is clear; your skills caught the attention of some very important people in the espionage world.
Recruit
– (Select Recruit for an additional challenge. Choosing this background opens an additional ‘Recruit’ Dialogue option during training.)
Though you’ve barely logged three months working for the Department of Justice, your ambition, drive, and aptitude caught the eye of a clandestine government agency. Your path will be difficulty – with little experience and formal training you’ll have to rely on your wits while you learn your lessons in the field.
Veteran
-(Unlocked after completing the game as a Recruit. Choosing this background opens an additional ‘Veteran” dialogue option during training.)
You are the Leonardo Da Vinci of Clandestine warfare: a gifted marksman, a master of stealth, and a tech savvy engineer rolled into one. Alpha Protocol didn’t go looking for you, you were sent to look for them. Having saved the world once, why not save it again?
After choosing my background history, that’s the time where I started my adventure as an agent for Alpha Protocol. Without spoiling much of the story, Alpha Protocol is a name of an underground organization that is no way affiliated with the United States Government. Think of it like the CIA or the Counter Terrorist Unit (if you’re a fan of 24). The purpose of having Alpha Protocol is to perform covert operations uncover. So if something goes wrong, the USA will not be blamed for the mistakes. The game starts in a scene in where a terrorist shot a jetliner down with missiles. The Alpha Protocol blamed Agent Thorton and the game brings us back to a flashback three months ago in where the story will tell us how Michael Thorton got into the Alpha Protocol.
One of the first things I’ve noticed when playing Alpha Protocol are the similarities with Mass Effect 2. Knowing that this game is also an RPG, I can’t help but to compare both games. Same as what Shepard is doing, Thorton will also bypass security alarms, hacking computers, and lock-picking via a series of mini-games. It’s not hard at all but if you fail to successfully bypass any security alarms or hacking computer, the alarm will trigger and be prepared to get flanked. When Michael levels up, it will give you an AP in where you can purchase skills.
The battle system of Alpha Protocol is the traditional third-person-shooter. Thorton can sneak behind enemies and kill them without them knowing. Whenever Thorton doesn’t have weapons in hand, he can defend himself by doing melee attacks. The enemies will have an HP on the top of their heads. Use it as an indicator whether they’re close of dying or not. Think of this game like Splinter Cell: Conviction. Michael Thorton can go behind cover and kill his enemies with the variety of weapons that are available in the game. There are skills that are available in the game that will help Thorton detect enemies that are coming at him. The way the level-up system works is through finishing objectives. Since I’m still very early in the game, I don’t know if Alpha Protocol levels up by killing enemies but it seems that the leveling system is linear.
The main highlight of Alpha Protocol is how the game can change completely through the decisions you make. There will be a lot of choices that you have to make throughout the game; answering them is up to you – there is no right or wrong decision. Take note that when you’re prompted to make decisions, as you will be timed. Obsidian have promised that in order to enjoy Alpha Protocol it will need more than one playthrough, which I see makes sense since trying out different conversations sure changes the storyline.
Alpha Protocol’s review is embargoed until June 1st. Check back with us next week for our exclusive coverage of the game.